TRACK & FIELD
Lauterbach, Jordan. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Apr 2019:
Jaheim Dotson, Longwood, 300 meters
Dotson came into the season as the fastest returning 55-meter hurdler in the state and said he was “driven” to win a state championship. Although it was in a different event, that drive led Dotson to the top of the podium. The senior won the state public school 300 championship in 34.87 seconds. He came in third in the Federation race, finishing behind two runners from Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx.
Dotson was a triple county champion, winning the 55 hurdles (7.52), 300 (34.93), and long jump (22-5) at the Suffolk Large School championships in February.
Kevon O’Brien-Smith, Freeport, 600 meters
It was an All-Long Island battle on the grandest of stages. Freeport’s O’Brien-Smith came from behind and passed Huntington’s Johnathan Smith on the final trip down the back straightaway, finally taking control on the last turn. O’Brien Smith won in 1 minute, 19.98 seconds.
“It was a lot of hard work, [Smith] is a really fast kid,” O’Brien-Smith said. ” . . . I saw the finish line and I wanted to win, so I had to push it and headed for another gear.”
O’Brien-Smith said that he started the race with a clear head and let the drama unfold without thinking too much.
“In the beginning, I wasn’t even thinking about the race,” O’Brien-Smith said. ” . . . I just came out, did what I had to do, and came home with the championship.”
Rodriguez on roll: Wins four races, leading Brentwood to first-place finish
Amato, Laura. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 24 May 2019
Julio Rodriguez had energy to spare.
The Brentwood senior finished first in the Division I 100- and 200-meter dash with times of 11.00 and 22.13 at the Suffolk Division championships Thursday at Mount Sinai. He also ran anchor for the Indians’ first-place 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams.
Still, Rodriguez said he wasn’t tired. He wanted to challenge himself and the only way he knew how was to keep running.
“I feel great,” he said. “There’s no better competition than yourself. You’ve got to beat you and your shadow, that’s it.”
Rodriguez’s performance helped lead Brentwood to a first-place finish in Division I with 100 points. Smithtown West finished first in Division II with 153 points and Mount. Sinai led Division III with 141.75 points.
“He’s a team player,” Brentwood coach Judy Daniels said of Rodriguez. “Always has been, and he was great today.”
It was a jam-packed day for Rodriguez, but the highlight came in the 4 x 100, when he said he took a “perfect” exchange form David Wood, rallying in the final leg to grab the victory. Brentwood finished in 43.28, steps ahead of Longwood.
“The strategy was to pick it up, get your knees up and push forward,” Rodriguez said. “You’ve got to get your head down and fly through the finish line.”
Longwood‘s Jaheim Dotson also had a busy schedule, competing in four events with wins in the Division I 110 and 400-meter hurdles. He finished nearly a second ahead of his closest competitor in the 110 hurdles, posting a 14.18, and followed up with a 53.46 in the 400.
“Time-wise it was pretty beautiful,” Dotson said. “I wanted to get my feet down, hit the ground as fast as I could, and pick up speed.”
Mount Sinai’s Kenneth Wei added his own personal best in the Division III 110-meter hurdles, running in 13.89, a time he said he couldn’t believe at first.
“I tried to get faster and faster and, even at the end, I hadn’t used all my energy,” said Wei, who added wins in the 400-meter hurdles and long jump. “I ran through and I immediately wanted to see what the time was. It felt like a phenomenal race.”
It was a long day, but Rodriguez still managed a victory lap with his teammates before getting on the bus, and now he’s hoping this latest round of success will help spark a run toward a state title.
“I take a lot of pride, a lot of confidence going forward,” Rodriguez said. “Most of all, it’s working out and getting prepared for the
Dotson a Double Winner in the 110 & 400 Hurdles
Ruiz, Mike. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 June 2019:
The repeat is now within Jack Poplawski’s reach.
The defending state champion in the boys pentathlon out of Whitman secured another trip to the state championships by winning the event Saturday afternoon with a total of 3,376 points on the second day of the Suffolk state qualifiers at Comsewogue.
Poplawski placed second in the 1,500 (4 minutes, 34.59 seconds) and long jump (6.23 meters) to seal the victory. He downplayed his focus on repeating as state champion and emphasized how his primary goal will be setting an even higher bar for himself.
“I don’t think it’s so much about defending what I did last year,” said Poplawski, who will compete at Middletown on June 6-7. “Mostly just improve upon what I already have and improve upon last year.”
Longwood‘s Jaheim Dotson had one of the more impressive overall displays of the day, as he finished a double-winner after placing first in both the 110 (14.18) and 400 hurdles (52.92).
The senior won the 300 dash indoor state title this past winter and will make one final run at another state title.
“There’s a lot of motivation,” Dotson said. “I love competition and I’m not scared of battles. I’m ready to compete.”
Brentwood’s Julio Rodriguez also put on a show by winning the 100 (11.24) and 200 (22.32). He was part of Brentwood’s winning 4×100 relay team as well (42.99), alongside Zion Wellington, Frank Grey and David Wood.
Michael Danzi of Smithtown West secured an exhilarating win of one one-hundredth of a second over Northport’s Sean Ryan in the 1600 (4:19.03).
Other boys winners included Westhampton’s Jack Meigel in the high jump (6 feet, 8 inches) and Mount Sinai’s Kenneth Wei in the triple jump (48-5).